Michèle Arnaud

Biography

Michèle Arnaud was a French singer and TV producer. She started her career in 1952 with the cabaret group Milord l’Arsouille. With the song “Tu voulais” she won a song contest in Deauville. In 1956 she represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest, where she played both entries for the Grand Duchy: “Ne crois pas” and “Les amants de minuit”.
In 1957 she became an often seen guest at “Milord l’Arsouille”. It was Michèle who brought Serge Gainsbourg to this cabaret by singing his songs. Arnaud was the first female performer of Gainsbourg’s songs. Arnaud also collaborated with big names such as Boris Vian and Leo Ferré. She performed in the big halls in France, including the Paris Olympia. Whatever she did, she continued to keep the label that she kept on having the name she already had from the very beginning: “the intellectual of music.”
Arnaud was part of the very first television broadcast of “Mondovision”, the worldwide sister of Eurovision. Michèle Arnaud performed in the French part of the broadcast, which could be seen in the United States.
Arnaud has also been active as a producer of tv programs since the mid-1960s. In addition to various shows, she was also involved in the election campaign of French president Georges Pompidou. She also produced the first musical on French television, “Anna”, written by Serge Gainsbourg. She also made documentaries about art in the 21st century, as well as literary portraits of Maurice Chavel, Jean Dutourd and Jean d’Ormesson. With her own production company, she broke through internationally with a film about the famous writer Henry Miller.
Michèle Arnaud was knighted for her merits. She died on 30 march 1998 and is buried at the famous Cimetière de Montparnasse cemetery.